The competition within
the record industry appears to be in
full swing again. This time the focus
seems to be on "who can provide
a package of the Beethoven Symphonies
plus fillers for the lowest possible
price". As a first response, I
would say that to this Barenboim set
is too good for its low price tag. Warners
are giving it away! Still the record
collector is the one to gain; and gain
he or she will with this package, currently
available at the cost of one full-priced
CD. This sort of competition will probably
have a significant effect on BIS, who
have just released the first in Vänskä’s
new cycle with the Minnesota Orchestra.
That one disc is about the current asking
price for this set of all nine, plus
four additional overtures.
Warners seem to have
been re-releasing their whole catalogue
on the cheap label Apex. This multi-disc
set is under half the asking price of
the Apex releases on a disc-for-disc
basis. ‘Where will it all end?’, I ask
myself.
Still, a set such as
this could easily be poor value if the
music-making was suspect. Most certainly,
here it is not! It was good value at
its previous asking price and at that
time it did not contain the fill-ups.
Here, one can purchase a highly satisfactory
set of the symphonies, played by the
orchestra that gave the Berlin premieres
of most of them, in tip-top digital
sound, played with consummate style.
There are repeats all over the place,
and a special accolade should be given
to the timpanist who shines throughout
the cycle. Tempi throughout are on the
fast side, and the standard of playing
is absolutely superb. Woodwinds, strings,
brass etc. are all perfectly in tune
with one another. I obtained immense
delight from this set. Add to this,
a superb set of soloists in the Choral,
and extremely good notes in a substantial
booklet, with a slimline box utilising
cardboard inner-sleeves. There is absolutely
no evidence whatsoever of penny-pinching.
OK, so you don’t get
the dynamism of Toscanini, but not much
less. These readings miss the depth
of a Furtwangler, but again, not much
less, and the improvement in sound quality
over the older symphonic cycles is such
that one need never feel short-changed.
I know that critical
appreciation of Barenboim can often
be varied, depending upon the critic,
and his or her own perfectly acceptable
foibles. I would, however, defy any
of them to severely criticise this boxed
set, particularly given its crazy asking
price.
Just for the record,
Barenboim’s complete recordings of the
Brahms (Chicago SO), Bruckner Symphonies
(Berlin PO) and Mozart Piano Concerti
(also Berlin PO) have also been released
this month at similarly crazy prices.
Snap then up whilst they are still available,
or at least until someone at Warner
Classics realizes what they have done.
John Phillips
Soile Isokoski (soprano); Rosemarie Lang
(alto); Robert Gambill (tenor); René
Pape (bass) 
